Pedroia wins AL rookie award in runaway; Braun edges Tulowitzki in NL

NEW YORK -- Even with a broken hand, Dustin Pedroia kept a
firm grip on the AL Rookie of the Year award.

The little Boston second baseman with the big swing won in a
runaway Monday, while Ryan Braun barely edged Troy Tulowitzki, a
former Tulsa Driller, for the NL honor.

Generously listed at 5-foot-9 and playing far over his head,
Pedroia's all-out style made him popular at Fenway Park. Plus, few
knew he had a broken left hand while helping the Red Sox win the
World Series.

"Everyone doubted me at every level I've been to, saying I'm
too small, I'm not fast enough, my arm's not strong enough,"
Pedroia said. "There's a lot of people that have stuck by me and
knew deep down in, that there's something about me that makes me a
winning baseball player."

Pedroia hit .317 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs. He got 24 of
the 28 first-place votes to outdistance Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon
Young in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Braun's brawn earned him the NL award. The slugging third
baseman from Milwaukee finished two points ahead of Tulowitzki,
Colorado's sparkplug shortstop.

Braun said he had trouble sleeping Sunday night, then woke up
early at his condo in Santa Monica, Calif., and went for a jog to
ease his "nervous energy."

"I had no idea what the vote would be based on," he said. "I
knew that it would be a close vote."

Braun received 17 of 32 first-place votes and finished with 128
points. Tulowitzki got 15 first-place votes and 126 points. Ballots
were completed by the end of the regular season, before Pedroia and
Tulowitzki met in the World Series.

"To show you how good Ryan was, in any other year Troy
Tulowitzki would have won hands down," Brewers general manager
Doug Melvin said.

The AL Cy Young Award will be announced Tuesday. Boston's Josh
Beckett and Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia are considered favorites.

Called up from Triple-A in late May, Braun hit .324 with 34 home
runs and 97 RBIs. The Brewers led the majors in homers this season
and stayed in contention for the NL Central championship until the
final week.

Braun's .634 slugging percentage led NL players and was the
highest by a rookie in major league history. He did not have enough
plate appearances, however, to qualify for the title.

His big offensive numbers were enough to overcome 26 errors,
tied for most in the majors with Minnesota shortstop Jason
Bartlett.

"Everybody has things they need to work on," Braun said on a
conference call.

Tulowitzki led big league shortstops in fielding percentage, got
to many more balls than anyone at his position and turned an
unassisted triple play.

He also set an NL rookie record for home runs by a shortstop
(24) and batted .291 with 99 RBIs as the Rockies surged to the NL
pennant. Colorado won 14 of 15 to take the wild-card spot --
Tulowitzki had four hits in a one-game tiebreaker for the slot,
including a key double off Trevor Hoffman.

Tulowitzki was on vacation this week and the Rockies did not
make him available for comment.

There was a tie for the NL rookie award in 1976 between San
Diego's Butch Metzger and Cincinnati's Pat Zachry, though the
voting format was different then. Last year, Florida shortstop
Hanley Ramirez beat out Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman by
four points.

Braun, who turns 24 this Saturday, became the second Brewers
player to win Rookie of the Year. Pat Listach won in 1992 when
Milwaukee was in the American League.

Pedroia will have to hold his award with his right hand -- his
left hand is in a soft cast. A test in early September revealed a
crack, and he played through the pain until having surgery last
week.

"I don't really know when it happened," he said on a
conference call from his home in Chandler, Ariz.

Pedroia sparked Boston's comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the AL
championship series, homering and driving in five runs to beat
Cleveland in Game 7. Pedroia then led off the World Series opener
with a home run, sending the Red Sox toward their sweep over the
Rockies.

A month into the season, Pedroia was hitting just .172 with no
home runs and only two RBIs. His slump was so severe that some Red
Sox fans were calling for Alex Cora to take over the starting spot.

"The first month was definitely tough on me," Pedroia said.
"I don't think a player is made over one month."

Pedroia became the sixth Red Sox player to win the AL award and
first since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.